On politics in the Golden State

Feinstein’s surgery to keep her from D.C.

January 4, 2011 | 4:07
pm

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will undergo knee-replacement surgery in San Francisco on Wednesday, keeping her from traveling to Washington for about three weeks, she said in a statement Tuesday.

The 77-year-old senator said she plans to work from home while recovering and "keep close tabs on issues of importance to California and the nation.''

Her absence comes as the Senate prepares for a possible debate on its filibuster rules but is unlikely to take key votes until later in the month.

In 2000, Feinstein underwent surgery to repair a severed tendon in her left leg after falling at her vacation home in Aspen, Colo.